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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28050450">A True Companion</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrighteyedJill/pseuds/BrighteyedJill'>BrighteyedJill</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, Let's face it humans are dumb and need taking care of, M/M, Minor Injuries, POV Outsider</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:53:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,093</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28050450</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrighteyedJill/pseuds/BrighteyedJill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Roach understands why her person has to leave her sometimes to fight monsters. But she is <i>responsible</i> for him, and she is not leaving this field until he comes back.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eskel/Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>224</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Witcher Flash Fic Challenge #012</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A True Companion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Many thanks to Gavilan for the horse advice!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Roach chewed the last of the crisp hay left within range of her tether and kept looking in the direction White Quiet had gone. She was not particularly hungry anymore, as she had already eaten a great deal of hay. After all, she had been waiting in the field since long before the sun rose. Now the warmth of the day had mostly burnt the frost off the hay, or at least the hay she had not already eaten. But Roach knew enough to eat when food was on offer. She and White Quiet were not always in a place where food was easily available.</p><p> However, Roach had noticed that White Quiet would make sure that she had food even if he had none himself. White Quiet was like that. Not just with Roach, either, though of course he was nicest to her. White Quiet was kind to other humans, even sometimes to humans who Roach thought deserved a kick in the head.</p><p>Behind Roach, Idiot Horse, the one White Quiet called Scorpion, snorted at her and tossed his head. She ignored him, as she’d been doing all morning. He couldn’t get too close, limited to the range of his own tether. Roach was grateful for that fact. Stallions could be such a bother. This one was clearly an Idiot Horse, as his person, Mountainsoft, was not White Quiet, and any person that was not White Quiet was not worth liking. </p><p>Not that Mountainsoft was bad. He had a pleasant, grassy smell. At the winter stable, he took care of the tiny, loud, hoofed things that stayed in their own pen. They were not particularly good company, but there were many of them, and their furry little bodies made the stable warmer. And more importantly, White Quiet liked Mountainsoft. More than that, White Quiet liked Mountainsoft enough to take him as a mate.</p><p>Roach was a horse of the world. She knew the sorts of things that humans got up to together. In their way, they were just like horses. Except a little more foolish. She was glad that her human had a mate. Having mates seemed like a pleasant thing for humans, though Roach had never seen the appeal herself.</p><p>She knew that this human was White Quiet’s mate because of the way they looked at each other. Like stupid yearlings seeing a full bucket of oats, with no care at all for surrounding danger or a belly ache. Like the feeling of a brush whisking over your withers just hard enough. Like running through a meadow on the first warm day of spring with the wind in your mane.</p><p>She knew also because when the two humans lay together at night, they would rut into each other and make noises that sounded like they might be in pain, but they were not in pain. Those were the pleasure noises humans made. On those occasions, Roach politely turned her back and pretended that she did not see. White Quiet deserved pleasure; so many parts of his life were unpleasant. </p><p>There were other humans that White Quiet would rut with, of course. Mountainsoft was not always around. Sometimes they would not see him for a very long time. Humans, rather than having a usual time of year for breeding, were in season all year long. It was extremely impractical. And it meant that White Quiet would not want to go without rutting, even when Mountainsoft was not around. One started to get that terrible itch under one’s skin that just wouldn’t go away, Roach knew. So White Quiet found other humans to couple with here and there. </p><p>Fortunately, Mountainsoft did not seem to be concerned about ensuring that White Quiet bore his foals. That was good. Roach did not think that White Quiet had the sort of disposition that would take well to the inconvenience of carrying a foal. Though she had done it herself, Roach had found there was little to recommend the process, and personally, she thought White Quiet wise for avoiding it altogether.</p><p>Overall, Roach felt positive about Mountainsoft as her human’s mate. White Quiet seemed more alive when Mountainsoft was around. He talked more to Mountainsoft than he did to any other human. He touched Mountainsoft, leaning against him or rubbing his face into Mountainsoft’s mane. If White Quiet talked to Roach in more excited tones, and gave her an extra thorough brushing, it was likely that they would soon see Mountainsoft. White Quiet preferred for himself and Roach to look presentable for his mate.</p><p>This exact thing had happened a few days ago. White Quiet had talked to Roach softly, and brushed her until she shone, and braided a yellow ribbon into her tail. And sure enough, Mountainsoft and Idiot Horse had come walking into their camp at sunset. Mountainsoft had jumped off of Idiot Horse, and White Quiet had run to him, and they had clung to each other as if they were in danger of falling over otherwise. </p><p>If they were off rutting right now, Roach would be extremely irritated. </p><p>This was not an unpleasant place to wait, but Roach was getting impatient. The wait had been longer than it usually was when White Quiet left her to go hunting. Roach knew how to be patient. She didn’t particularly want to be dragged along to be snapped at by sharp-toothed things, or to have to run away until she was lathered and panting. So she appreciated when White Quiet used his good judgment to decide that Roach was not needed in a given situation. </p><p>However, there was something in the air here that Roach did not care for. When she raised her head and sniffed at the wind, she could almost catch the scent of blood. She whickered and stamped, and wished fervently that White Quiet would return.</p><p>Idiot Horse stretched out his neck, straining the rope attached to his halter, and flicked his ears at Roach. She snapped at him, though she was too far away to actually make contact. Too bad. Idiot Horse snorted and drew back, affronted. Roach was not worried about offending Idiot Horse. She had a sneaking suspicion that Idiot Horse would be present during their winter at the mountain stable. He would not be a pleasant stable companion. </p><p>Few of the stable companions that White Quiet's friends had brought to stay with her had been tolerable. There was that donkey-horse a couple years back that Acid-Tongued had brought. She had been a delight. But unfortunately she had not returned the subsequent winter, and since then Roach had been stuck with worse companions. She was used to it. Well, she would just have to kick and bite Idiot Horse as many times as necessary to make him understand that the winter stable was her place, and if he was staying there, it was only by her reluctant sufferance.</p><p>As long as Roach had White Quiet, Roach would willingly endure the idiots. White Quiet was worth suffering any number of Idiot Horses. There was no other human, or horse for that matter, as lovable as White Quiet. But White Quiet was not here now. She did not see or hear him. And really, she thought he should be back by now. She raised her head and scented the wind again, though she knew it would not make him return faster.</p><p>Idiot Horse had given up on annoying her, and was looking in the same direction as Roach, the way that their people had left earlier this morning. His nostrils flared. He snorted and danced forward to the end of his tether. </p><p>Then Roach saw what he did: the tall, broad figure of a human stepping out of the woods. The human was walking slowly and unsteadily, as if it were lame. Roach whinnied and pulled against her halter. If White Quiet was lame, then he would need Roach to carry him.</p><p>But she realized, as the sunlight hit the human's dark hair, that this was not White Quiet. This was Mountainsoft, who, though he was not bad as humans went, was still not White Quiet.</p><p>As Mountainsoft slowly approached, Roach definitely smelled blood. Roach was no expert, but she knew that humans were not meant to be quite that shape, especially around the front legs. As Mountainsoft got within reach, Idiot Horse whickered gently and nosed at the human's chest.</p><p>“Easy boy,” Mountainsoft said. “I'm here.” He untied Idiot Horse, then turned to look at Roach. When he went for the rope attached to her halter, Roach snapped at him. She was not this man's horse, and she was not going anywhere until White Quiet returned.</p><p>The human sighed. He backed up, though he winced in pain as he did so. “Geralt's hurt,” he said. “I can't carry him. Would you just... Would you help?”</p><p>Roach eyed the human warily. His words were unfamiliar, but he didn't seem angry, only concerned. He pointed back the way he'd come, and said, “Geralt.” Geralt was the mouth sound that other humans used when they addressed White Quiet. Roach personally thought it sounded a bit silly, but then again, most human names did. And it meant nothing that Mountainsoft was saying that name. Humans would say anything to get a horse to mind. This wasn't her human, and she wasn't going to do what he said.</p><p>Roach stood still and let Mountainsoft at the rope. When he untied her from the tree, she jerked her head and backed quickly, dragging the rope out of his hand. He cursed, and grabbed for it, but Roach was clever, and kept herself out of his reach. He could not move as fast as he usually did, which was fortunate for her evasion plans. Normally the cat-eye humans were extremely quick and difficult to evade. But Roach would not go anywhere without White Quiet, even if this human wanted her to. She sped away through the field, but stopped when she heard an alarming sound.</p><p>Mountainsoft had crumpled to his knees on the ground and was making a horrible noise. Roach snorted and backed away further. She had not heard Mountainsoft make this noise before, and had only heard it from White Quiet once or twice, when he had been very badly hurt. And yes, Mountainsoft did appear to be injured, but he hadn't become more injured in the past few moments. Roach ventured in a bit closer to check. Though she had no intention of being caught, she didn’t want White Quiet’s mate to die of his injuries.</p><p>Mountainsoft was pulling at his mane with his front feet, and his breathing was hard and choppy, as if he was foundering. Roach, alarmed, looked at Idiot Horse. Idiot Horse was giving Roach a serious look that held none of the playfulness he'd had earlier. Roach looked back at Mountainsoft, took a step forward, and sniffed at him.</p><p>“It's my fucking fault,” Mountainsoft said. “Too slow. Can’t see an endrega’s tail right in front of me. Can’t defend anyone. Can't even catch a fucking horse. And now talking to myself. Perfect.” Mountainsoft shook out his short mane and blew out air. Then he pushed to his feet painfully. He appeared shaky as a colt, but he held out his hand, palm up towards Roach and said quietly, “Come here girl. Please. Geralt needs you.”</p><p>Roach regarded him skeptically. White Quiet and this human had left together this morning, so perhaps this human knew where White Quiet was now. If White Quiet was injured, he would need a human to help him. Mountainsoft was not Roach’s human, but he, too, had an interest in making sure her human was all right. She would go with him, then. She would find White Quiet, and all would be right with the world again. </p><p>She picked her way daintily through the half-trampled hay, until Mountainsoft was close enough to take hold of her lead rope. </p><p>“Thank you,” he said gently. </p><p>Roach snorted in acknowledgement. She turned her head in the direction White Quiet had gone and watched intently while Mountainsoft dragged himself onto Idiot Horse and attached her lead rope. When they moved, Roach went with them with her head held high. She would find White Quiet and make sure he got somewhere safe, with human food at a warm human stable, where Mountainsoft could sleep next to him and make him happy. White Quiet needed her, and she would never fail him, not as long as she had any strength left in her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><div class="children module" id="children">
  <b class="heading">Works inspired by this one:</b>
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        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/31147433">[Podfic] A True Companion</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chantress/pseuds/Chantress">Chantress</a>
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        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/31169000">[Podfic] A True Companion</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/greedy_dancer/pseuds/greedy_dancer">greedy_dancer</a>
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        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/31195502">[Podfic] A True Companion</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/semperfiona/pseuds/semperfiona_podfic">semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona)</a>
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